Seven Ways to Live Like a Local in Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — While other parts of the world may experience brutal winters and hot humid summers, the Santa Monica community is fortunate to enjoy bright blue skies, stunning sunsets and cool ocean breezes year round. This near-perfect weather allows an active and relaxing lifestyle throughout the entire year. Here are a few suggestions on how to live like the lucky Santa Monica locals.

Farmers Market – Santa Monica’s Farmers Market has had a tremendous impact on the Los Angeles dining scene over the past 34 years and was named one of the best markets in the United States by Travel + Leisure. There are four weekly farmers markets in Santa Monica, where you can rub shoulders with yoga students, businessmen, celebrities, celebrity chefs, families and pick up the country’s most unique and beautiful produce, flowers, meats, cheeses, nuts, fish and more.

Sunset happy hours – Over 60 restaurants offer happy hour in Santa Monica, giving you the perfect opportunity to sample Santa Monica’s award-winning dining at a fraction of the cost, watch a beautiful sunset and meet our friendly Santa Monica residents. View some of Santa Monica’s happy hours, their times and their offers at santamonica.com/happy-hour-in-santa-monica.

Free concerts at the Pier – One of the most popular summertime activities in Santa Monica is the annual Twilight Concert Series at the world-famous Santa Monica Pier. Back for its 31th year in 2015, this free open-air concert series features top jazz, pop and iconic music performances that are ideal for all ages Thursday evenings during the summer. The concerts draw families, couples and friends, who gather both on the pier and on the beach below to picnic and enjoy live music next to the Pacific Ocean.

Get around via bike – At just 8.3 square miles, Santa Monica is a bicyclist paradise. Now that Santa Monica is home to Santa Monica Bike Center, the nation’s largest full-service bike center, visitors can live like a local by embracing the eco-friendly lifestyle of this active and progressive community. With bike-friendly streets that have well marked bike lanes and route, biking has become one of the most scenic and economical ways to navigate the city.

Buy Local – Santa Monica is home to eight different neighborhoods for shopping, all with their own vibe and flavor coming from the many locals who own small clothing stores, art galleries, restaurants and more. Support these locals by stopping into their businesses, meeting them and buying locally. Learn more at buylocalsantamonica.com.

Protect our beach and bay –The Santa Monica community cares deeply about preserving the beach and its surrounding bay. Santa Monica locals work hard to keep it clean and safe, and regularly work in conjunction with the Heal the Bay organization to do so. Help protect the beach you came to visit by learning more about Heal the Bay and its report cards at HealtheBay.org.

Work out – Santa Monica locals are known for their emphasis on a fit and active lifestyle. While in town, make sure to take advantage the abundance of outdoor spaces, winding bike paths and running trails that Santa Monicans use regularly as their very own outdoor gym. Explore even more unexpected and unusual ways to get healthy during a trip to with flying trapeze lessons on the pier or synchronized swimming and stand up paddle board classes at the Annenberg Community Beach House.

About Santa Monica Travel & Tourism
Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT), formerly Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau, is a non-profit organization designed to increase visitor expenditures, tourism revenues and local employment opportunities through the promotion of Santa Monica as a travel destination. For travel and accommodation information or a free copy of the official Visitors Guide, the public can write to the Santa Monica Visitor Center, 2427 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405; call 800-544-5319 or 310-393-7593; visit santamonica.com; or email info@santamonica.com. Follow SMTT on Twitter @GoSantaMonica or become a Facebook fan at facebook.com/visitsantamonica.